Watch previous episodes of ON THE COUCH & ON THE GO by clicking here! Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!
Here’s something we have saved for the holidays – a 50 minute discussion between the three “underdogs” – and relative newcomers – of the camera industry: Blackmagic Design, Apertus Open Source Cinema and Kinefinity.
Those are three very different manufacturers who got into the business for very different reasons, but they have one thing in common: They haven’t done this for a long time, are thinking outside the box and still make a lot of mistakes. And they all produce cameras that are capable of shooting really high-quality RAW or ProRes images that strive to challenge the “establishment”: Sony, Arri, Canon. (I wouldn’t add RED to that list because they were truly the first ones to bring prices of the competition down by introducing the RED ONE back in the day …).
Enjoy this very engaging conversation with Tim Siddons from Blackmagic Design, Sebastian Pichelhofer from Apertus and Michel Juknat for Kinefinity. I particularly enjoyed Sebastian Pichelhofer challenging Tim Siddons for some of Blackmagic’s choices when designing and developing cameras.
Please visit our sponsors’ websites to keep new episodes of ON THE COUCH coming! Thanks to B&H, Røde Microphones & FilmConvert.

Røde just introduced the i-XLR, a digital iPhone XLR adaptor for Apple iOS devices that turns your iPhone into a high quality audio recorder.
The new Røde i-XLR is a lightning accessory that connects to your microphone’s XLR output on one and and to your iOS device on the other.
Using a new Røde app that will be introduced within the next two weeks, will enable you to bypass the iPhone’s audio processing and record audio in high quality.
It’s nice to see how this device might replace an audio recorder in some situations and give you a portable iPhone XLR alternative.
Pricing is yet to be determined and it will become available in the next months.
For more information visit rode.com

Watch previous episodes of ON THE COUCH & ON THE GO by clicking here! Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!
In this new episode of ON THE COUCH, recorded in Las Vegas at the B&H booth of NAB 2015, I interviewed Philip Bloom and Dale Backus from SmallHD.
We talked about the camera announcements from Blackmagic Design, e.g. the URSA Mini (which still aren’t shipping, by the way) and many other topics.
Our talk quickly shifted to on-set monitoring and color grading and consistency. SmallHD announced the 502 and 501 5″ field monitors with 1080p resolution and SDI/HDMI (502 version) as well as many custom LUT functions that allow you to apply looks to your logarithmic images from your cameras.
In this day and age where cameras are so ubiquitous that most of us end up using various different cameras at the same time and sometimes on the same shoot, color consistency and matching the look of these cameras become essential. But it is notoriously hard matching cameras from various manufacturers unless you invest a lot of time in color grading or having a colorist on the job.
Philip and I are using FilmConvert to match camera looks easily – the plugin (and standalone version) feature looks packs for specific camera models, which have been analyzed by the FilmConvert team to make the look settings for those camera models as precise as possible. So for example, when mixing C300 and F5 footage in one timeline, you can select the camera model in FilmConvert settings, the LOG version or picture profile you used while shooting, and then select the film stock you want to mimic with FilmConvert. If everything is exposed similarly and with the same Kelvin settings (however those can be adjusted afterwards too), the footage will immediately look the same as FilmConvert irons out each particular camera’s quirks.
Please visit our sponsors’ websites to keep new episodes of ON THE COUCH coming! Thanks to B&H, Røde Microphones & FilmConvert.

As filmmakers we’ve all become in some way involved in the crazy run for the latest developments in camera gear. In the hopes to make better films and become better filmmakers many of us are constantly called to catch up with innovation. But sometimes it seems we are missing the essence of what truly makes a filmmaker better and that is not the gear.
In the midst of the gear craziness at NAB 2015 and in search for an authentic message I got these 19 terrific comments from professional filmmakers during my last round on the show floor. I hope you enjoy the story despite heavy background noises.
This is also a little way to say thank you to everyone who followed our coverage during NAB and a tribute to our friends and colleagues we meet once a year. If you like it please check out last year’s video.
Ironically before everyone is asking, here’s the equipment used for the video:
Sony Alpha a7S
At cinema5D we often use this camera. For this particular job it was ideal. Because of the lowlight strength there was no need for additional lighting. And it was an extremely lightweight package.
Unfortunately I shot on a picture profile I’m not used to. Next time I’ll go back to Slog2 which I personally enjoy for accurate grading.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm F/2.0
This is a new lens by Zeiss and it’s awesome. It adds virtually no weight to the camera while at the same time being full-frame and offering F/2.0 and a super crisp image.
Sony XLR-K2M Adapter
This little add-on that routes XLR audio directly through the hot-shoe is very convenient. I set the mono-mic to both channels with different levels, so I had a backup audio.
Unfortunately I relied on Sony’s kit microphone that proved to have horrible directional characteristics. It picked up all the surrounding noise. I wish I had used one of our sponsor’s mics. It’s kind of embarrassing actually, but this was a really fast shoot.
The footage was graded using filmconvert, as well as a custom LUT and some additional corrections.
Music by musicbed.com
A. Taylor – Ash and Dust
People in the Video:
PHIL ARNTZPHILIP BLOOMCODY BURROWSRODNEY CHARTERSDAN CHUNGBRENDAN GIELGENSCLINTON HARN
STEVEN KEITH
NINO LEITNERRICK MACOMBERDAVID MALLOUREJOE MARINEEMMANUEL PAMPURIEDUARD SCHNEIDERELLE SCHNEIDERJEM SCHOFIELDJOHN-MICHAEL SENG-WHEELERELLIOT SMITHKLYMENT TAN

At NAB 2015 DJI presented their new DJI Ronin M which is a more lightweight and smaller version of their original DJI Ronin. Today they announced the shockingly low price of the device: $1,399 !!!! This makes it one of the most affordable gimbal stabilizers out there. And it looks mighty good as well. (pre-order here)
The way Doug handled the Ronin M in front of our eyes when we recorded the video at NAB seemed pretty smooth. But the new Ronin-M has a few nice things to offer.
On closer inspection you will see that it comes without the complications that other gimbals work with and all adjustments are tool-less (thumbscrews).
Along with the quick-release system it’s apparent that some thought has gone into the ergonomics of this device, which isn’t the case for some other affordable gimbal stabilizers.
The DJI Ronin-M was originally said to come at a price “lower than $2,000”. The new $1,399 price revealed today is shocking for the whole industry as it will considerable crush some of the competition and sell like hot cakes. It should start shipping within the next weeks. Get your pre-order HERE.
While the DJI Ronin M is really affordable there are even cheaper gimbal stabilizers out there. Check out our recent article: 5 Affordable Gimbal Stabilizers Cheaper than the DJI Ronin M
The highlights at a glance:
Supports Cameras up to 8 Pounds
Precision of Control: ±0.02°
Transmitter for Remote Pan/Tilt Control
Tool-Less Balance Adjustment System
Assistant Software for iOS and Windows
Bluetooth Wireless Interface for Setup
Silent Mode For Quiet Operation
USB and PowerTap Power Outputs

When Redrock Micro presented their affordable wireless follow focus at NAB 2010, who knew they’d take this technology so far: Now, 5 years later, they present an automatic follow focus system, but with a twist that might reinvent the way we use follow focus systems.
The Redrock HĀLO is an electronic focusing system that gives you automatic focusing as well as full manual control with a top-view of your scene.
They use the same technology that powers autonomous cars to create a real-time map of the scene. Artificial intelligence identifies your subjects (people and objects) and tracks their distance and location in real-time.
You can then tap-to-focus with visual, audible, and haptic feedback. And HĀLO becomes your technician, handling the practical details so you can concentrate on your creative performance.
Other automatic follow focus systems at NAB 2015:
There were other automatic follow focus systems at NAB 2015. Of course everybody is aware of the famous Andra focusing system which they have further improved with a digital user interface and manual inputs. But then there was also Qinematiq, an Austrian company, with an approach of using stereoscopic imaging to generate a 3D map of the scene. There’s a video that was captured by Magnimous Media, see below:
It seems the Cinematiq version is gonna be more pricey than the Redrock solution, but then again it seems to be a whole different concept alltogether.
The one question we forgot to ask concerning the Redrock HĀLO is how much preparation time it takes to setup this automatic follow focus system, in order to correctly track all objects in the scene. But we will find out about that when the time for delivery of the Redrock HĀLO comes later this year.
Estimated price is between $2,000 and $5,000.
For more information visit the Redrock Micro website.
PS: Sorry about bad audio in this video.

If you are like us, having lots of Canon LP6 batteries lying around and using a Sony A7s camera for your daily work and looking for a better option for a day lasting Sony A7S battery solution, then look no further. IndiPRO Tools is a US based company whose camera powering solutions I’ve been using during the past 4 months to my absolute satisfaction.
In the above video, Jaycee from Indipro is showing the following items:
IndiPRO Tools POWER POD Quad: This is the one I’m using myself. It sits on top of my shoulder pad as part of my Sony A7s rig.
IndiPRO Tools 69SA7: This power cord is connecting the powering solution to the Sony A7s and acts like a dummy battery.
IndiPRO Tools POWER POD Dual: Is a similar solution as the Quad but in a smaller form.
IndiPRO Tools 8PASA7: If you are looking to enhance the audio capability of your Sony A7s (in conjunction with a powering solution) and don’t want to invest in the Sony XLR-K2M, then this solution is for you. (mind you, that no phantom power, or separate channel control is possible with the IndiPRO unit).
So, if you are looking for a great Sony A7s powering solution (or for other popular camera from a different brand), feel free to explore IndiPRO Tools at B&H as they have a large variety of solutions for most cameras currently on the market.